VATICAN CITY — Like Pope Paul VI and Blessed John Paul II often did, Pope Benedict XVI will mark World Mission Sunday in October by creating new saints.

In the United States and Canada, many people are aware that the saints to be proclaimed Oct. 21 at the Vatican include Blessed Marianne Cope of Molokai and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.

(CNS/Nancy Phelan Wiechec)

Mother Marianne led a group of sisters from New York to the Hawaiian Islands in 1883 to establish a system of nursing care for leprosy patients; Blessed Kateri, daughter of a Christian Algonquin mother and a Mohawk father in upstate New York, will become the first Native American to be canonized. She was baptized by a Jesuit missionary in 1676 when she was 20, and she died in Canada four years later.

— Jesuit Father Jacques Berthieu, who was born in Polminhac, France, and was martyred June 8, 1896, in Ambiatibe, Madagascar.

— Peter Calungsod, a lay catechist born in Cebu, Philippines, and martyred April 2, 1672, in Guam.

— Father Giovanni Battista Piamarta, an Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth for men and the Humble Servants of the Lord for women. He died in 1913.

— Carmen Salles y Barangueras, the Spanish founder of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. She worked with disadvantaged girls and prostitutes and saw that early education was essential for helping young women. She died in 1911.

— Anna Schaffer, a lay German woman who wanted to be a missionary, but could not because of a succession of physical accidents and diseases. She accepted her infirmity as a way of sanctification. Her grave has been a pilgrimage site since her death in 1925.

15 Responses to Canonization Mass in October will bring seven new saints

What a blessing to have 7 new
Saints. We are especially pleased
To have our own Blessed Katera
Declared a saint.
For many years we lived in Bartlesville
Just east if Pawhuska,
Where her Bronze stature is at the church.
How proud we all are.

I just want to correct your information regarding Pedro Calungsod. Pedro Calungsod’s parents and family were actually from Leon, Iloilo, Philippines but Pedro was born in the Chinese district of Molo in Iloilo City.

Pedro Calungsod also known as Pedro Calonsor (born: 1654 [ 3 ] – died: 2 April 1672) was a young Roman Catholic Filipino migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist , who along with Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores , suffered religious persecution and martyrdom in Guam for their missionary work in 1672.

Another Filipino Saint, another one who will help us with our petitions and prayers. Thank you Blessed Pedro Calungsod! My younger daughter is so fond of Blessed Pedro and I’m gonna give her a small image of him to be her Guardian-Saint.

The Church does not “create” or “make” new Saints. To state this is a heresy. God makes Saints, the Church simply recognizes and formally titles them once there is sufficient evidence to do so. Yes, this is a joyful occasion to formally recognize these individuals as being in Heaven with God, but we don’t want to perpetuate the idea that the Church makes the decision of who is in Heaven.

@J, everyone knows that the Church doesn’t make the decision who goes to Heaven (whoever said that??) and that canonizing new Saints is to recognize the extraordinary men and women who went above and beyond in serving God and people.

Yay for all the new Saints! Pray for us that we may become great servants like you all were.

Though it is nice to see people recognized for their work and sacrifices it always seems forgotten by Catholics that you should be praying to none other than God. Only he can answer your prayers and perform miracles. Anything accomplished by these saints were God acting through them not them. That would be taking the Ten Commandments in vain.

@Mennon: Catholics pray to God. Catholics also ask the Saints and Mary to pray for us just like you would ask your own friends to pray for you. But the difference is that the Saints and Mary are more powerful than mere human friends since they are in heaven already and are closer to God, hence requesting for their intercession and prayers is much more powerful.

Catholics do not worship the Saints or Mary- we ask for their intercession and pray that they would help us to be closer to Christ. They are our friends and role models. I hope non-Catholics would know this difference eventually and not make false generalizations because of hearsay.